Danh Vo: Gustav’s Wing – Culturgest Porto, through 13 April 2013

In the past few years, Danh Vo has quickly become one of the art world’s most admired and intriguing artists. His conceptual works, which can include handwritten letters, photography and disassembled objects, express his desire to reject normalcy in favor of difference. Culturgest introduces Portugal to the interpretations of Vo, in the exhibition “Gustav’s Wing” at the organization’s gallery in Porto 19 January through 13 April 2013.

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Vo was born in Ba Ria, Vietnam in 1975. He and his parents immigrated to Denmark after being discovered in a boat fleeing Vietnam in 1979. Vo used this immigrant theme in his well-received graduation show from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2002. Vo now works from his residences in Berlin and New York.

Often, Vô infuses his works with references to his own personal history, while raising issues about the concept of freedom and identity. This is most apparent in his recent work “We the People,” a 1:1 replica of the statue of liberty deconstructed. The large copper pieces are strewn about in museums worldwide including the Art Institute of Chicago, the New Museum and The National Gallery of Denmark, among others. This work is likely to have persuaded jury members at the Guggenheim when they honored him with the 2012 Hugo Boss Award.